The Haudenosaunee proudly retain their culture and identity today. That’s true whether they live on reservations or in other parts of New York State, Ontario (Canada) or elsewhere. Mike Tarbell (ABOVE) is a member of the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk people. He’s a cultural interpreter at the Iroquois Indian Museum at Howes Cave, New York. He also teaches Iroquois history and Native American studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cobleskill. Tarbell talked with COBBLESTONE about his work and the Haudenosaunee people today.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB AS A CULTURAL INTERPRETER?
I’m a messenger. I’m an ambassador also for my ancestors to this contemporary moment. I’m carrying the message of the culture and trying to correct some of the misunderstandings that people have had for many, many years about the Iroquois people and their culture. In this way sometimes I get to correct history just a little bit. And when visitors ask questions, I can give them a better understanding about the Haudenosaunee people and the contributions they’ve made to modern American culture.
WHAT’S AN EXAMPLE?
One is [the U.S.] governmental system [with representatives in Congress]. Right here in upstate New York is the oldest participatory democracy. And that is the Iroquois Confederacy. It still is functioning in the world today. The United States also uses some of the confederacy’s symbols, such as the eagle on the dollar bill.
HOW DOES THE SYSTEM FUNCTION IN THE CONFEDERACY TODAY, STARTING WITH YOUR OWN CLAN?
Denne historien er fra November/December 2019-utgaven av Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.
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Denne historien er fra November/December 2019-utgaven av Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Eye in the Sky
An interview with Joe Piotrowski
Airborne Animals
Humans have taken to the skies in balloons, gliders, and airplanes-but we're not alone among the clouds. Animals of all sorts have evolved to harness wind power.
TAKING OFF
The Wright brothers expected airplanes to “take off,” but even they might be amazed at the way the airline industry has become big business. In the past, it was expensive to send something by plane.
GROWTH OF AN INDUSTRY
After their historic flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright returned to Dayton, Ohio. They spent the next few years making adjustments and building additional versions of their powered aircraft in their bicycle shop.
WHY KITTY HAWK?
The Wright brothers searched carefully for the best place to test their gliders and flying machines. Their main concern was for good, steady winds. But they also hoped to find a remote location to allow them to perform tests away from the public eye.
Two Brothers From Ohio
Most people do not realize that the Wright brothers—Wilbur, born in 1867, and Orville, born in 1871—performed various scientific experiments before inventing their aircraft. For as long as anyone in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio, could remember, the Wright boys had worked on mechanical projects.
A Helping Hand
May 6, 1896. A group of people who had gathered beside the Potomac River, just south of the U.S. capital, grew quiet. Then, it erupted in cheers as a small, unmanned aircraft took to the skies and flew for more than half a mile. The flight came seven years before the Wright brothers’ first manned, powered flight. The inventor of the aircraft was Dr. Samuel Pierpont Langley.
THE IDEA MEN
People dreamed of flying thousands of years before the Wright brothers found success near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. These dreamers, such as Leonardo da Vinci, studied birds flying and imagined how humans might do the same—if only they had wings. Other men developed a more hands-on approach to the topic. Early inventors made wings of cloth, glue, and feathers and tied these creations to their arms in an attempt to imitate nature.
Da Vinci's 4 Designs
Have you ever wondered how a bird flies? Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) did. He thought that understanding how a bird flies would provide the key to human flight. So, what did da Vinci learn from birds?
Silken Wings
Seven hundred years before the Wright brothers began experimenting with human flight, the Chinese had already mastered its secrets—with kites.
